After 1880 there were regular divisions within the party. One main reason for this was the way the party was made up. The only thing they had in common was the dislike they had for Disraeli and his imperial and foreign policies. They only gained power because of the depression and reaction to Beaconsfield. By 1880 two Parliamentary Reform acts (1st 1832 and 2nd 1867) had been passed. The franchise had increased, secret voting was introduced and women were gaining some liberty. People and society were changing but the majority of the Liberal cabinet was made up of Whig, ‘old guards.’ 140 of the 346 newly elected MP’s were related to either the, peerage, baronets or other great landowners and landed gentry. The only element to represent radicalism in the party was the presence of John Bright and Joseph Chamberlain. The Whigs were not Conservatives but were in no way absolutely Liberals. They were Aristocrats and still had traditional views. This obviously caused conflict with the Radical wing of the party who weren’t going to let Gladstone forget their importance. Joseph Chamberlain maintained his efforts to ensure Radical influence within the party.
The Radicals showed opposition from the beginning when the cabinet was composed and the Whigs showed discontent when Acts like the Ground Game Act, and attacks at landed property. They were also unhappy with the further Parliamentary Reform Acts. The Redistribution Bill 1885 affected the Whigs in a negative way,. The redistribution and loss of candidates meant that where there was normally a Whig and Radical representative now there was only a Radical. They hated Chamberlain who was regarded as disloyal. He usually criticised and attacked hi conservative colleagues in articles. Even in the cabinet he went beyond his responsibilities at the Board Of Trade. He denounced the House Of Lords over the Reform Bill and even attacked his own party members. He likened Lord Hartington to ‘Rip Van Winkle’, the fictional character who went to sleep for 20 years. Chamberlain even published his own official programme and left the party after becoming leader of the Liberal Unionists.
This constant battle between party members not only made the party weak but also allowed opposition to attack. The incident with Charles Bradlaugh also caused discontent as he being an atheist didn’t want to swear an oath of allegiance. This cause outrage and there was a constant campaign to allow atheist to become MP’s. Gladstone being a morally conscious person was left in a difficult position. He was being attacked from nearly all directions and his party was crumbling. Although he tried to keep everyone together this was an uphill struggle especially with most of the second Ministry being dominated by Irish issues.
The Irish question was becoming increasingly popular. Ireland and the idea of Home Rule dominated Gladstone’s third and fourth ministries. The idea of Home Rule and the real split with the party came in 1886 but prior to this legislation was being passed in Irelands favour. Ever since Gladstone’s, ‘mission to pacify Ireland’ he tried to resolve their grievances. The Disestablishment Of Church Of Ireland 1868 (DOCOI) and The Irish land Act 1870 was followed by the Second Land Act in 1881. These acts were in accordance with Gladstone’s idea of justice and liberty. These acts gave rites to Irish tenants to use and improve their land. The DOCOI 1868 took the power away from the Protestant Church in Ireland and gave more to Catholics. Although it didn’t get rid of the tax they had to pay to the Church Of England, it lowered it dramatically. The Second Land Act finally granted the "Three Fs", namely Fixity of tenure for peasant farmers, the Free sale of their crops, and Fair rents, that the Irish had been seeking for so long but this wasn’t’ enough. England for years had misunderstood the situation and thought that the Irish, once their justified grievances had been redressed and Ireland recognised as an equal and distinct society within the United Kingdom, would peacefully recognise the mutual benefits of the Act of Union. Englnad could not come round to addressing a straightforward Irish question before the Irish had already changed it to something else, and this brought along the idea that, "whenever the English solved the Irish question, the Irish changed the question." The English thought by passing small Acts they could justify what they were doing, but Ireland under their, ‘Uncrowned King’ Parnell, was more determined to attain Home Rule. Parnell was the driving force behind them. At root, the Irish question did not change much over the second half of the nineteenth century, but people in Ireland began to voice out aloud what they had thought quietly for many years and Parnell was the one that behind this. It was Gladstone who realised that the only way to stop all this chaos and problems was to grant Home Rule. Many say this was because of his genuine moral belief of equality whereas others believe this was a tactical move but whatever his motives behind the move it caused great discontent both within the country and his party. The Whigs were shocked at the agitation and disorder and were against the idea of ‘improving legislation.’ This is probably the reason why the Coercion Act was passed. This gave the authorities special powers to arrest but Gladstone was quick to let Parnell go after his arrest in 1882, showing that really he wasn’t in favour of repression. The radicals wanted remedial measures and were also against repression. However neither of them were as radical as to want Home Rule and Gladstone saw no other way him turning to Home Rule was what united these two distinct groups to turn against his leadership.
Therefore in conclusion it can be seen that both the Liberal party and its ministers was beset with fundamental problems which inevitably had an effect on legislation. The party couldn’t unite on one front because of the clash between party members. The party in essence was made up of two differing schools of thought and this caused hostility within the party. If a party didn’t agree on anything, passing legislation on it was somewhat impossible. The Whig element of his party contradicted his belief of liberty and justice, and also went against the Radicals in the group and Gladstone had the task of trying to maintain these personalities and unite them on one aim . However Gladstone himself began to concern himself with Ireland and his second, third and fourth ministries were devoted to that. With no one to act as the,’ cement’ of the party and their leader trying to change something the majority of the country was against
